Walk On The Water Too #3

25) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

“By Roman reckoning, the “fourth watch” occurred between 3 am and 6 am.  It was sometime during that three-hour period that Jesus began walking on the water.  This text reminds us that not only does Christ control the storm, and not only does He send the storm, He reveals himself in the midst of the storm.  Very often our purest vision of Christ comes when the storms of life threaten to capsize the tiny boat of our faith.” 
Quote found HERE.

I can’t help but think of the poem about footprints in the sand (which I have at the end of this post).  It’s most often the darkest part of our lives when the winds are howling the loudest that the Lord is there for us.  Below are some incredible quotes that I found about this very subject that I had to share.

“Jesus comes to His disciples in the fourth watch of the night.  He comes when it is darkest.  He comes after they have struggled for nine or ten hours.  He comes to them not at the beginning of their struggle, but He comes to them at the end of their struggle.

When we’ve struggled, and not quit; when we’ve struggled through the first watch of the night into the second watch of the night, and through the second watch of the night into the third watch of the night, through the third watch of the night into that watch of despair, the fourth watch; it’s when we’ve suffered the agony of loneliness and the agony of despair and the agony of facing our own helplessness and the agony of life’s futility, and the agony of the fact that life does not make sense-it’s then, when we struggle to believe, that we are granted the knowledge that is salvation.

The revelation of divine truth does not often come to us when life is comfortable. The revelation which is existentially real to our hearts does not come when everything is going right, when our refrigerators are full and our bank accounts have extra and everybody is treating us the way we want to be treated and everything is explainable, and we’re happy as clams. It doesn’t come then. The revelation of divine truth comes when we struggle and in our struggle we believe.”
Quote found HERE.

“Jesus is out there in the storm, whatever it is. He’s nearer than you thought. No, he’s not in the boat, not yet anyway. He’s out there – where the wind is raging and the waves are pounding. Jesus isn’t found in places of safety and security. Jesus is found in the teeth of that terrible storm, in that dreaded worst-case scenario, in that one thing you and I most want to avoid.

And, unless I miss my guess, that’s what makes us afraid. See, if Jesus is out there – where it’s not safe, where all heck is breaking loose – then that’s where you and I have to go as well. You and I signed on to be His followers, didn’t we? And He’s out there – in the scariest place we can imagine. So in order to be with Him, we’re going to have to get out of the boat.”
Quote found HERE.

The second part of this verse leads us to ask why did Jesus walk on the sea in a storm instead of just waiting for it to pass?  Or why didn’t He just take a boat across?  My own personal answer that I came up with, is that He knew this would be a great teaching moment.  Also, He has set the example in all things.  So, if Peter is going to walk on water, then Jesus is showing Him that it’s even a possibility.

I found a great talk that discusses some other reasons why Jesus is walking on water in the middle of a storm.

“…being boatless didn’t seem to slow Jesus down at all.  Probe with me a little today…what was Jesus up to, walking around on the lake at 3:00 am in the morning?

Mark tell us (Mark 6:48) that Jesus ‘intended to pass them by’ on the water…why did Jesus want to pass by them?  Did He want to race them?  Did He want to impress them with a really neat trick?  The verb ‘to pass by’ (parerchomai) is a Greek translation of the Old Testament ‘theophanys.’ What is a theophany?  It is those defining moments when God reveals himself on Earth.  God put Moses in a cleft in a rock so Moses could see God as His glory passed by.  God put Elijah to stand the mountain ‘for the Lord is about to pass by.’  There is a pattern to these stories.  In each case, God had to get people’s attention…through a burning bush; wind; fire; or walking on water.  With each person, God would end up calling him or her to do something extraordinary.  In each situation the person that God called felt afraid.  But every time that people said ‘yes’ to their calling, they experienced the power of God in their lives.  So, when Jesus came to the disciples on the water intending to ‘pass them by,’ He was not just doing a neat magic trick.

He was revealing His divine presence and power.  It is interesting that the disciples entered the boat in the first place at Jesus’ command.  They would have to learn … that obedience is no guarantee of being spared adversity.  But now the storm has their full attention.  Jesus decided that it was time for the disciples to get to know a little bit more about the guy who was piloting this storm.  Basically, Jesus wanted them to be able to trust Him also in the storms.  Matthew wants his readers to know that Jesus often comes when least expected – 3:00 am, in the middle of a storm.  I believe that human extremity is a frequent meeting place with God.  These are those divinely appointed defining moments that come into all of our lives.  And if you’re not looking, you might just miss Him.”
Quote found HERE.

Sorry about all the long and lengthy quotes, but those people just explained it so much better than I could.  The main point that I get out of it is that Jesus lets us struggle and try to work it out ourselves and then when we can’t, He comes to us when we need Him the most.  And just as a good reminder, here is the poem about footprints in the sand:

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
You would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed You most,
You have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you."

~Mary Stevenson

Walk On The Water Too #2

My word/phrase for the year is Walk On The Water Too, and I had great plans at the beginning of the year to post something every month about my phrase to help me stay focused on it. So far, I’ve only posted one thing and that was back in January, so I have some catching up to do. In that post, I talked about how important it is to take time for spiritual things.

In this one, I want to focus on hardships and why they come our way. Here are the versus I’m focusing on from Matthew Chapter 14:

22) And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

24) But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

Here, the disciples were being obedient and doing what Jesus had told them to do. So why is it that they were faced with a terrible storm for following through on what was asked of them? Sometimes I get in the mindset that if I’m doing what I’m supposed to, then I shouldn’t have any hardships or tests or trials. That everything in my life should go smoothly. However, that’s not the way things work.

I think it’s interesting to note that these men weren’t new to sailing a boat. Some of them were fishermen for a living and were well acquainted w/ boats and how they work and what to do in a storm. These seasoned professionals were doing everything they could just to keep the boat from tipping over.

It’s not a matter of “IF” we will have trials in life, but more a matter of “WHEN”. We have no idea what form those tests of our faith will come in. Sometimes it will be something huge that seems insurmountable, but other times it is something small where we are doing our best and barely keeping our heads above water.

I found this scripture in Hebrews 12, which is so good!

11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

No one enjoys going through tests and trials when they are happening. However, when we come out on the other side of it, we are stronger and better for having been “exercised” thereby. Think about a muscle…when you work it out and it exercise it, that muscle hurts. But in the long run that muscle becomes stronger. Also, I have noticed that we are usually tested and tried right before some major blessings come our way. During the middle of this storm is when Peter got to walk on water.

So, now that I’ve waxed all spiritual and philosophical, I want to apply it to my own life. I think the biggest “storm” I’ve ever been through was deciding to get a divorce. At that time in my life, I was being obedient and going through the repentance process, attending church every week, and was on the right track. Then all of a sudden my little boat was put right into the middle of a huge and unexpected storm where my whole world was shaken. It was all I could do to get up in the morning and take care of myself and Autumn. It was by far the darkest and most despairing time of my life.

However, now that it’s been almost 4 years since I made the decision to leave and get a divorce, I am able to look back w/ a greater perspective. I feel the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.” That in no way means my life has been smooth sailing since then, but I am happier in my current situation than I would have been if I stayed, and know that I made the right decision.

I could have become very bitter and angry (and I was for a little while), but rather than let that consume me, I turned to the Lord and asked Him to turn my hurt into healing, my fears into faith, and my tears into a strengthened testimony. I have come out on the other side of the storm as a better woman & mother.

So, for anyone reading this that is struggling or wondering why they are having to endure the storms of life, here is an excellent talk given by Elder Quentin L Cook entitled, “Hope Ya Know, We Had A Hard Time.” I just have to end with two really great quotes that I’ve shared before, but were so fitting w/ this post:

“Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of our disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.” ~Elder Richard G. Scott

“Because you are so valuable some of your trials may be severe. You need never be discouraged or afraid. The way through difficulties has always been prepared for you, and you will find it if you exercise faith.” ~Elder Henry B. Eyring

Walk On The Water Too #1

I decided I need to blog about my first Walk On The Water, Too (WOTWT). Each month I’m going to share something I’ve learned about my phrase I’ve picked from this year.

A little bit of history of what happened right before the verses below is that John the Baptist had just been beheaded, Jesus & the 12 Apostles were trying to find somewhere to be alone and grieve when the multitudes found them and Jesus preformed the miracle of feeding 5,000 men (not including all the women & children) with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. They also had 12 baskets full of food that were left over. Anyways, here are the verses from Matthew Chapter 14:

22) And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23) And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Even though Jesus was the Savior of the world, He took time to be alone and to be out in nature where He could ponder and pray. He only lived 33 short years on the Earth and probably had the very most to accomplish out of anyone that has ever lived. But, He knew how important it was to have quiet time to feel the Spirit and have personal communication with His Father in Heaven.

There is an excellent talk given by Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the Quorum of the Seventy, entitled Opening The Heavens. He talks about this very thing. We all need to find somewhere peaceful and quiet each day where we can turn down the volume of the world and turn up the volume of spiritual things. I know we are all busy and have so much going on. Sometimes I find that the only time I get is 5 minutes on my drive to work when I turn off the radio. Or b/c I’ve had some down time at work, I took my scriptures and have been able to read a few chapters while at work. But even 5 minutes is better than nothing for me. I need to make time for the important things in life, like recharging my spiritual battery every day. If Jesus needed to do that, and He set the example for us in all things, then I also need to do the same.

Anyways, just something for me to think about as part of my WOTWT for the year.